Wherever I May Roam
by SupernaturalSlayer
Summary: Buffy has always been an only child. What happens when the scoobies find out that that is not actually true? Crossover with Supernatural .
1. Chapter 1

**Wherever I May Roam**

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of these characters and claim no right to copyright material, which is a shame because I think Buffy would make an awesome Winchester. Buffy and co belong to Joss Whedon, and the Winchesters belong to Eric Kripke. The title of my story is taken from the song by the same name, and is owned by Metallica, and not me.

Timeline: My timeline is a bit screwed up and confusing. Basically, it's set early in Supernatural season 1 and for Buffy it's around AU season 7 but nothing out of season 5 onwards happened in respect to Dawn being there or the potential Slayers, and Tara dying, but Joyce still died from an aneurism and Giles still owns the Magic Box. It'll be clearer over the course of the story.

A/N: This is a totally new area for me so please be nice. And for people who have already read my older (incomplete) stories, this is very different to what I've written in the past.

* * *

Buffy and the gang were sat at the dining room table in Buffy's house, trying to research the latest bad. Buffy slammed her book shut with an annoyed grunt "Giles! How much longer are we gonna have to do this?"

Giles patiently raised his head from his own tome, "Until we find out what demon you killed", before going back to his research.

Buffy rolled her eyes, selecting another book from the non-diminishing pile of books in the center of the table, all the while mumbling to herself, "Still don't see what the big deal is. Was just a stupid mindless demon"

After several minutes of silence, the gang were startled by the ringing of the phone. Buffy's eyes flicked to the clock and upon realizing the time, leapt for the phone attempting to get it before anyone else could. Sadly it wasn't to be. Buffy was beaten to the phone by Xander who was just as bored with the whole situation as she, if that was possible.

"Hello?...Who is this?...This is Xander…Buffy? Uh, hold on," Xander pulled the phone away from his mouth, covering the mouthpiece, "Buff, do you know some guy called Dean?"

Buffy's eyes widen as many pairs of eyes turn to her, and she jumps up and yanks the phone away from Xander, "Uh, yeah. Excuse me, I need to take this…elsewhere." And with that, Buffy darted out of the room into the kitchen away from prying eyes. Or ears in this case.

"Dean?"

"Hey squirt."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Why do you insist on still calling me that?"

Dean smirked on the other end of the line, "Because, you are still shorter than me, and you're still my baby sister. And as big brother I have the right to tease my baby sister, and little brother for that matter."

Buffy stifled a laugh, pretending to be annoyed at him, "Sure, sure, whatever you say big brother." Getting serious now, "Is everything okay? Is Sammy okay?"

Dean chuckled, "Everything's fine, princess. Sammy's a pain in my ass, but he's fine. I'm just calling to check up on you."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "You don't need to worry so much, you know. I'm the Slayer."

"And I'm your big brother. And besides…Slayer or not, Dad would kill me if something happened to you"

Buffy laughed, "Oh yeah…"

Buffy could hear Sam talking in the backround, but she can't make out his words. A moment later Dean speaks again, "Say Buff. How would you feel about a visit from your big brothers?"

Buffy is stunned, but then a huge smile breaks across her face, "You mean it??"

Dean laughs, "Yeah. We'll actually be in California soon. Although at the rate Sammy's going we'll be there next week."

Buffy could tell by Dean's accusatory tone that that was Dean's way of telling Sammy to pick up the speed and she smiled to herself. Dean would never change, "You actually let Sammy drive?"

Dean was quiet for a moment before finally answering, "We get places faster with two drivers."

Buffy pouts even though she knows Dean can't see, "You never let me drive the Impala. How come Sammy gets to?"

"Because Sammy can actually drive!"

Buffy frowns, "I can't believe you're still holding that little accident against me."

"It took me a week to fix the results of your 'little accident'!"

Buffy resumed pouting and used her 'baby sister' voice, that she knew neither Sam or Dean could ever resist, "I'm sorry, Dean."

Dean sighed, knowing he could never stay mad at her when she used that voice, "Forget it. Anyway, Sammy and I'll be in Sunnydale tomorrow. Stay safe"

"You too." And with that Dean hung up.

Buffy hung up with a big smile, excited that she would finally see her big brothers again. It had been too long since their last visit. They rarely ever visited Sunnydale, and she missed the days when Sam, Dean and Dad used to visit her regularly in L.A.

Buffy put the phone back on its hook and went back into the dining room, still smiling. At least until she saw all of the others staring at her curiously. Buffy frowned at them all, "What?"

The gang exchanged looks with each other before Willow finally asked, "Who's Dean?"

Buffy's eyes widened. She should have known they would ask about him. Damn. Now how was she going to explain this, preferably minus hurt feelings. "Uh…" She had nothing.

The others were still looking at her. Xander raised an eyebrow at Buffy's weird behavior, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Buffy's eyes practically bugged out of her head. Dean, her boyfriend?? "NO! No! Dean is not my boyfriend!"

Unfortunately, Anya chose this time to speak up in her usual tactless way, "So he's just an orgasm friend?"

Buffy looked ill. Fortunately Xander stepped in, "An, what did we talk about just last week about the phrase 'orgasm friend'?"

Anya just looked bored, "You said people don't like it, but come on, I was just saying what everyone else was thinking."

Giles, looking slightly disturbed, looked to Buffy, "Let me assure you, _I_ was not."

Willow giggled a little, before turning back to Buffy, "Come on, Buffy. I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything."

Buffy still looked pretty anxious, but sighed quietly and decided to come out with it, "Dean is…well…he's my big brother."

The gang just stared at Buffy in shock. Xander got his voice back first, "You have a brother?!"

Buffy gave him an uneasy smile, "Well…actually, I have _two_ brothers."

The others just stared. Giles cleared his throat after a moment, "I wasn't aware you had any siblings, Buffy."

Buffy shrugged nervously, "It never came up?" On seeing the looks the others were giving her, Buffy sighed, "Look guys, the reason I never told you about my brothers is because they're never around. I almost never see them anymore. I just…didn't see the point in telling you. Plus, you know, my family isn't exactly the Bradys. It was better you didn't know."

Willow was still stunned, but was slowly getting used to the idea of Buffy with brothers, "Wow…so, um. I'm glad you told us, Buffy. So, uh…where do they live?"

Buffy grimaced. Here came the questions, "Well, they don't really live anywhere. They spend most of their time on the road. They only stay in places for a few days." Seeing the barrage of questions coming, Buffy raised a hand to fend them off, "Please, you guys, could we not do this now? They're coming to visit in a couple days and you can meet them then." She looked to Giles pleadingly, "Are we done for the day?"

Giles sees Buffy doesn't want to have to answer anymore questions and nods with a soothing smile, "Yes of course. Come along everyone. Help me take some of these books back to the shop, and Buffy will explain about her brothers at another time."

Buffy could tell Xander was dying to ask her more, but they all did as told and picked up several books each and slowly departed, Anya complaining the entire time.

Buffy sighed, knowing she had a lot of explaining to do. But for now that wasn't a pressing issue. Her brothers would be there in the morning and she had some preparing to do.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'd uploaded this chapter yesterday, but I decided I was unhappy with it and made quite a few changes and wrote more into the scene. This is my updated chapter two and I hope you like it!

* * *

**Chapter Two**

_21 Years Earlier…_

The Winchester family was gathered around the hospital bed, all vying for a look at its newest member. Mary carefully cradled her newborn daughter in her hands, smiling as the little girl giggled at the faces John was making. Dean lifted up little Sammy so he could see the new baby, but he wasn't having much luck. John smiled and took Sam from Dean, holding him so he could see her better.

Mary smiled at Sammy and brought the baby closer to him, "Sammy…say hello to your new little sister, Elizabeth."

Sammy waved one of his small hands at his little sister with a shy smile, "H'lo Liz-buf."

John laughed. Sammy was still very young himself and wasn't able to properly pronounce her name yet. He began to chant her name happily, proud to be a big brother just like his brother Dean, "Liz-buf, Liz-buf. Buf, Buf…"

John raised an eyebrow at that, and Sammy smiled up at his father pleased with himself, "Sammy giving Liz-buf nackname."

Dean corrected him, "That's nickname, Sammy."

Sammy nodded, "Yeah, nickname."

Mary smiled, "What nickname do you want to give her, sweetheart?"

"Buff!"

John raised an eyebrow, "You mean Beth, sport?"

Sammy nodded enthusiastically, "Uh huh! Buff!"

John chuckled, sharing a look with Mary, "Okay, then. Buff it is."

Sammy smiled pleased with himself and looked back to baby Elizabeth, "Hello Buff-y. I'm Sammy, and that's Dean" he pointed over at Dean standing closely by the bed, "We're big brothers."

_Now…_

Buffy heard the Impala's approach long before the sleek black car pulled into the driveway, the sound of classic rock and the low rumble of the engine alerting everyone in the surrounding area to her presence.

Buffy checked her appearance in the mirror one more time before she excitedly ran out the door to greet her brothers, jumping into Dean's arms as soon as he stepped out of the car, "Dean!"

Dean hugged his little sister back before pulling back slightly to good-naturedly ruffle her hair, earning himself an annoyed glare. He grinned widely "Good to see you too, princess."

Buffy extracted herself from Dean and ran over to Sam, who'd just gotten out of the car, "Sammy!" and jumped into Sam's waiting arms for a warm hug from her other older brother, "I am so glad to see you guys!"

Sam smiled, "We're glad to see you too, Buff." He hugged his little sister back, not having seen her in a while. The last time they had been together was before Jess died and he hadn't wanted to tell her over the phone. Buffy had liked Jess.

Buffy grinned widely, "So come on, let's go inside. We have so much to catch up on." And with that Buffy grabbed Sam's hand and practically dragged him into the house, leaving an amused Dean to grab their belongings from the trunk of the Impala.

Buffy led Sam into the kitchen, where she poured each a cup of coffee. She knew her brothers. Sam accepted it graciously, carefully taking a sip of the scalding liquid. Soon Dean joined them in the kitchen, after dumping their bags by the stairs, and helped himself to a cup of coffee.

Buffy sat herself by her brothers at the island, "So where have you guys just come from? What did you kill?"

Dean grinned at his sister's curiosity. She had always been that way. Always wondering what is was like to travel the backroads of America, hunting the things that go bump in the night, instead of hunting in your own backyard, "We just finished a job in Pennsylvania. Took out a demon that was causing plane crashes."

"Wait…Pennsylvania? I thought you said you were nearby?"

Dean grinned, "Well we were. We were on our way to visit you when I called."

Buffy rolled her eyes. Typical Dean, always needing to check up on his younger siblings.

Sam smiled at the exchange, "You're our sister, Buffy. We missed you."

Buffy looked happy at the response, "I missed you guys too."

Dean rolled his eyes at the chick-flick moment and got up to rummage through the cupboards in search of something to eat. Buffy shook her head at his behavior and took the opportunity to take a better look at them. Dean was his same old annoying self, but something was different about Sam. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. She watched him for several moments before Sam looked up and noticed her staring at him. He raised an eyebrow at her, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Dean came up behind him before Buffy could answer with a handful of cookies, "Probably noticed how you're looking more and more like a girl. It's probably the hair." And with that playfully ruffled Sam's hair, earning an annoyed glare.

Dean gave him a weird look, before turning to look at Buffy and then back to Sam, "You and her have too much in common." He took a huge bite out of one of the cookies, "At least there's only one geek in this family."

Sam shot him a look. Buffy looked at both of them, "Wow. You know what, I don't remember you guys being this snippy at each other. Hey, you know what else I don't remember? You guys hunting together without Dad. Sammy, how come you're hunting with Dean now? What happened to college?"

The look currently on Sam's face made Buffy wish she'd kept her mouth shut. She looked at Dean for some indication of if she'd said something wrong. Dean just shook his head and nodded towards Sam. In other words it was something Sam had to tell her himself. All was silent for a moment before Dean spoke up, "Why don't you two kids go talk in the main room. I gotta…check I locked the trunk…"

Buffy and Sam each gave Dean a look, before Sam walked into the main room. Buffy stared at Dean for a moment, willing him with her eyes to tell him what was going on. Dean just shook his head and insistingly gestured for her to follow Sam.

Buffy sighed in defeat and followed Sam, taking a seat next to him on the couch, "You're gonna tell me something bad, aren't you? Like you got expelled or you broke up with Jess." On seeing the pained look on Sam's face, Buffy was immediately alarmed, "You didn't break up with Jess, did you?"

Sam held up a hand to ward off her questions, "Not exactly. I don't know what Dean's told you about what's happened over the last couple of months, but, uh…Dad abandoned Dean to chase some lead he had on what killed Mom. Dean was worried about Dad so he came and broke into mine and Jess's apartment and convinced me to help him find Dad."

Buffy was, at this point, looking pretty worried, "Did you find him?"

Sam shook his head, "No. We've pretty much accepted that Dad doesn't want to be found. So we finished the job Dad was working on and Dean took me back to campus. When I got back to the apartment…I found Jess."

"Found? As in…?"

"I found Jess…pinned to the ceiling. The same as Mom."

Buffy's hand flew to her mouth, horrified, "Oh my god…Sammy…"

Sam looked down, his eyes welling with unshed tears, "It was too late. I couldn't save her. The whole ceiling burst into flames, and Dean had to drag me out."

Buffy was crying as she pulled Sam into a tight hug, "I'm sorry, Sam, I'm so sorry."

Sam leaned into his little sister's embrace, as the tears began to fall. Dean would never be comfortable holding Sam like Buffy was, and sharing painful memories. Sam hadn't been able to talk about Jess' death to anyone before, and now although it was painful to think about, at least he could get it off his chest. Except for one little detail that had been haunting him in the back of his mind. He himself wasn't sure what to think about it, and who knew what Dean or Buffy would say if they found out. So for now…he would concentrate on hunting the thing that killed Jess, and closing the distance between the family that had slowly been growing ever since Sam had left for Stanford.

So Sam hugged his sister that little bit tighter as they held each other, crying for lost loves and for each other, hoping that things in the future could only get better.

* * *

After the tears had finally run dry, Sam and Buffy sat quietly on the couch, Sam's arm around Buffy's shoulders as she rested her head on his shoulder, "So this is what you're doing now? Hunting with Dean?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah. I want…I need to find what killed Jess."

Buffy looked down sadly, "You really loved her. So you really think it's the same thing that killed Mom?"

"I think so. It was…exactly how Dad described how he found Mom."

"Have you spoken to Dad about it? What does he think?"

Sam sighed and shook his head, "We haven't been able to find him, or even contact him. He just took off halfway through a job, left it to me and Dean, and sent us on a couple more."

Buffy wrinkled her nose in confusion, "How…?" Then her eyes widened in understanding, "Those stupid co-ordinates again?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, more of his ex-marine crap."

Buffy frowned and shook her head in disbelief, "I can't believe he just took off like that, and left Dean behind."

Sam said nothing and both were silent for a moment. Buffy thought about everything that had happened over the last seven years of her life. It seemed like every time the Winchester family tried to do something normal, something happened to ruin everything. Buffy herself had tried for years to just be normal, but she had eventually accepted that it was never going to happen.

When Sam had gone to Stanford and started seeing Jessica, Buffy couldn't have been happier for him. Sam and Dean had spent their whole lives being dragged around the country by their father, trained to hunt demons. And then Sam had finally decided to leave and take a chance at the life he'd always wanted as a kid. It hadn't worked for him either. All of them just kept getting sucked back into this life. It wasn't fair.

"We're never going to have any kind of normal life, are we." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Sam gave Buffy a sad smile, "No."

Buffy sighed, having known what his answer would be, and dropped her head back to his shoulder, "I hope you find it, Sam. I really do. But for now…you've got me, and Dean. We're a family. And we're gonna stick together. No matter what." She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

Sam smiled at her confidence and hugged her back. This family was going to get back together and be a real family, "No matter what."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Dean grumbled to himself as he watched the pictures move across the screen, "How can people watch this crap?"

His remarks earned him a glare from Buffy, "Shut up, Dean. Sammy and I are trying to watch the movie."

While channel surfing, Dean had come across a screening of The Sound of Music, and much to his dismay, Buffy had insisted they watch it as a family as they never got to do anything together anymore. It was bad enough the whole afternoon was filled with sharing-caring chick flick moments, but now he had to endure this? His sister was taking family time way too seriously.

He had given Buffy and Sam a while to talk, opting to sit in his car and listen to the classic rock station on the radio. After he had gone back into the house, he had been jumped by his little sister with hugs and the insistence of 'family time'. He didn't know what Buffy and Sam had been talking about, but he sure as hell did not want to know.

Dean looked back up at the screen in time to see…a yodeling goat? He snorted in amusement, receiving another glare from Buffy. He raised an eyebrow, "You're actually surprised at my reaction? It's a yodeling goat!"

Buffy rolled her eyes, and got up with an annoyed sigh, storming out of the room. Dean's eyes flicked to Sam's, wondering if he'd done something wrong. Soon Buffy returned, holding a beer in her hand. She walked straight up to him and practically shoved it in his face, "Here! Stop complaining."

Dean took the beer with a grin and settled down after popping it open. He took a sip as Buffy settled back down next to Sam. Mid-sip he froze and gave Buffy a curious look, "Should I ask why my baby sister keeps beer in her fridge?"

Buffy gave Dean a look, "I'm 21, Dean. And besides, I knew you were coming so I went out and got some last night just for you."

Dean didn't quite know what to say, "Oh…"

Buffy grinned, "Yeah, 'Oh'."

All was silent for a while as Sam and Dean turned their attention back to the television. Buffy watched them silently, wondering what she was going to tell them about her friends. She had to tell them soon. Her friends already had a lot of questions last night and now they had had time to think, and now undoubtedly had more. Great.

Buffy nervously cleared her throat, "Um, guys? There's actually something we need to talk about?"

Dean recognized Buffy's tone and stared at her accusingly, "What did you do? You didn't go and blow up another school did you, because we've talked about this…"

Buffy frowned at him, "No! I didn't blow up anymore schools! And anyway, what makes you think I did something?"

Sam smiled, "Because you take after Dean."

Dean smirked at Sam, "You say that like it's a bad thing, Sammy."

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean, "It is when you like to break things."

Dean crossed his arms, "So you're saying Buffy should be a geek like you?"

Sam glared, "I never said- "

"Guys!" Both brothers turned to face Buffy, who had a hand raised like a kid in the classroom, "Can I please actually tell you what I need to tell you?"

Sam and Dean exchanged looks one more time before Sam turned back to Buffy, "What is it, Buffy?"

Buffy looked from Sam to Dean, nervously. She didn't know how they were going to take it, but it wasn't going to be good, "My friends know about you."

"WHAT?!"

Dean leapt to his feet and strode over to Buffy, "What do you mean they know? What do they know? Did you tell them the family secret?!"

"No! I didn't tell them anything besides that I have two older brothers who move around a lot! Nothing about hunting. They had lots of questions, but I managed to hold them off for now. But…I told them you were coming and that they would get to meet you."

Dean groaned, "Buffy…"

"What was I supposed to do?! When you called, one of my friends picked up the phone before I could get it. They wanted to know who you were. So I told them you were my big brother."

"Well, maybe if you'd gotten to the phone in time you wouldn't have had to explain!"

Buffy glared, "They still would have wanted to know who it was! All my friends were here, who else could I have said it was??"

"Hey, hey! Just calm down both of you," Sam interrupted, trying to ease the tension between Buffy and Dean, "It's nobody's fault. Buffy's friends probably would have found out somehow anyway."

Dean rolled his eyes, "We went six years without anyone here finding out. Why are your friends answering your phone anyway?"

Sam interrupted again before another argument could begin, "It doesn't matter. They found out, and we'll deal with it. When did you tell them we were coming?"

Buffy was still pouting from her and Dean's argument, "I told them you were arriving tomorrow."

Sam nodded, "Okay, good. Then we still have tonight to ourselves and we'll meet your friends tomorrow."

Dean crosses his arms, giving Sam a curious look, "Sammy…did anyone ever tell you that you're really bossy?" He laughed at the exasperated expression on Sam's face.

"Shut up, Dean."

* * *

The next morning, Buffy was sat at the island in the kitchen with a cup of coffee staring out of the window as the early morning sunlight streamed inside, brightening up the room. Sam and Dean were both still asleep in their respective rooms, as they had all stayed up long into the early hours. Buffy had been too worried about today to sleep well.

At times like this, she was glad that she had the house to herself. After Joyce died, Buffy had kept her room and Dean had claimed the master bedroom every time he came to visit, while Sam took the smaller spare bedroom at the end of the hall. She didn't know what she would have done without her family's help. After Joyce's death and Hank had refused to get involved with her anymore, John, Sam and Dean had gotten involved and now the house was hers. She didn't know where the money had come from, and she didn't want to know. She told the gang that her 'dad' had paid all the outstanding bills on the house. Dean had stayed with her at the house for a little while after the funeral, but as soon as he was sure Buffy would be okay, he had rejoined their father on another one of his hunts.

She knew everyone was going to be upset with her for keeping this secret for so long. They had been fighting monsters together for six years and she had never even mentioned any other family, besides Joyce and Hank. Not even Giles knew. The guilt had been eating away at her lately. Before the others had found out, her real family had been a nice secret, something that was just hers. But lately, she was finding herself having to lie about a lot of aspects of her life, and a lot more often. Who her parents were, being an only child, where she came from, why she now lived alone, who looked after her…It sure as hell wasn't Hank, although that was the explanation she had given them. Now her friends knew that she had lied to them, and today her friends would find out just how much.

Suddenly, Sam was sitting next to her at the island. She jumped in surprise, no idea how long she had been sitting there. He smiled, "Couldn't sleep?"

Buffy shook her head, "You too?"

Sam smiled sadly, "Yeah. The nightmares are pretty bad."

"I'm sorry."

Sam shook his head, "Don't worry about it. You've got enough to worry about today."

Buffy worriedly nibbled on her lower lip, "I do?" That was the last thing she needed to hear.

"I didn't mean it that way, and you know it. I know you, Buffy, and I know you're scared your friends are going to be angry with you."

"And they have good reason."

Sam sighed, "It's not your fault. It's what I've always hated about our life. Having to lie to people."

Buffy frowned, understanding what he was saying, "You never told Jess about what you, Dean and Dad did."

Sam shook his head, "I didn't. I wanted to so badly. I hated lying to her, but you know what Dad always said. We don't tell anyone." Sam's voice had taken a resentful tone, and Buffy wasn't sure what to make of it, so she remained silent for a moment.

"What about today? What are we going to say?"

Sam just shrugged helplessly, "The truth? I mean…you said they fought demons too, right?"

Buffy nodded, "Yeah, they help me out now and again on patrols and apocalypses, but they're mainly in a research capacity."

"Then I guess we'll have to tell them the truth."

Buffy frowned, not completely convinced if his plan was such a good idea. Their dad would be pissed if he found out, "What about Dad?"

"Screw what Dad thinks. He left you here alone to fight monsters by yourself. If it's what you want, tell your friends the truth. They already know what's out there."

Buffy stared at Sam silently for a moment, confusing Sam, "You don't like Dad very much right now, do you?"

Sam sighed and shook his head, his hair flopping in his face, "That's a question for another day. Let's just concentrate on your friends first."

Buffy nodded, seeing Sam didn't want to talk about their father right now. She looked up at the clock and saw that it was now 6 o'clock in the morning. Dean was probably still sleeping. Lucky bastard, "So where's Dean?"

Sam smiled, glad for the subject change, "Probably still asleep. You know how Dean likes his sleep."

Buffy remembered. She grinned mischievously as she realized that this meant she would be able to go and wake him up. Sam saw the look on her face and immediately knew what it meant. He dropped his head into his hand with a groan, "Buffy…"

Buffy just smiled innocently, rising to her feet from her place at the island, she began to head out the kitchen door, "I'll be right back…"

Sam remained at the island, listening to the fading sound of Buffy's footsteps into the main room and then up the stairs. All was now silent, which only concerned Sam more. Especially when it came to Buffy and Dean. Sam was just considering following Buffy upstairs, when a loud yell and a crash came from upstairs. Sam just rolled his eyes as he heard and then saw his sister come tearing down the stairs laughing hysterically, with a soaking wet Dean in hot pursuit.

"ELIZABETH ANNE WINCHESTER!! Get back here right NOW!!"

Sam smiled in amusement as Dean chased Buffy out the kitchen door, "It's just another day in the Winchester household."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. It took three complete rewrites until I was satisfied with it. Please leave feedback and let me know what you think.

* * *

Sam and Dean could hear the sound of dance music pulsating from the large building in front of them, muffling the sound of the Impala's engine. They exchanged looks. Of all places to meet her friends, Buffy had chosen a dance club. What she had been thinking at the time, they would never know.

Of course, what Sam and Dean didn't know was that Buffy had planned it that way. The more noise and more people there was around, the less the chance of causing a scene. Plus then she wouldn't be able to tell her friends about her family's dark past. Not yet anyway. She knew she would have to eventually, but maybe it would be better for her friends to meet her brothers first and then tell them the darker stuff later. That had been the reason she chose the Bronze as a meeting place.

Dean cut the engine and all three stepped out of the car, staring at the building in front of them. Dean sighed and gave Buffy a look, "Why did you choose a club for us to meet your friends?"

"Because…we kinda had plans to meet here anyway so…I thought where better than the Bronze to meet my friends! Now come on!" Buffy looked away and started for the Bronze, clearly meaning that the conversation was over. Sam and Dean exchanged looks again and with a shake of their heads, they followed their sister into the club. Neither Dean nor Sam was looking forward to this. They weren't really club type people. They usually just stuck to bars and dives.

Buffy walked ahead of them and looked around for her friends. They should have been there already since they were late after having had to wait for Dean to get out of the shower. She spotted Willow's gleaming red hair in the distance and turned, grabbing Sam and Dean's hands, forcing them to look at her, "There they are. Remember what I said?"

Dean rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. I'll be good."

Buffy frowned at him suspiciously, but let it go and tugged them along in the direction of her friends' table. She slowed as they neared them, obviously nervous about the meeting.

* * *

Willow took a sip from her coke as she waited with Xander, Anya and Tara at their table to finally meet Buffy's brothers. She still couldn't understand why Buffy hadn't told them about them before. They'd practically had to wrestle the information from her. She couldn't help but feel hurt that Buffy had withheld such an important part of herself from her. They were best friends, they were supposed to tell each other everything. She couldn't help but wonder what else Buffy had hidden from them.

Many minutes passed and Willow checked her watch, realizing that Buffy was late. On one hand, Buffy had been late on many more than one occasion. But then on the other hand, what if Buffy didn't want them to meet her brothers and had decided not to even show?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Willow saw Buffy in the distance moving towards the table, with two tall men in tow. Her brothers, she realized. Willow quickly nudged Xander, "Look! There she is!"

Everyone else at the table looked over at where Willow was pointing and saw Buffy approaching with two men. Xander and Willow leaned over a bit, curiously, so they could get a better view of the men. Anya raised an eyebrow, "They're hot!"

Xander gave her a look, "They're not so hot."

"Yes, they are! Look. The tall one is really cute in that soft sensitive way, and the other one is hot like in a sexy, dangerous, 'I'm gonna kick your ass' way!"

Willow, Tara and Xander just stared at her, still not completely used to Anya's tactless honesty. Xander looked annoyed, but before he could say anything, Buffy was standing in front of the table, her brothers standing behind her. The taller one looked awkward, while the shorter one looked more guarded than anything else.

Buffy gave an awkward smile and a little wave, "Hey guys…"

* * *

Buffy nervously sucked in a deep breath as they neared the table. She had a bad feeling about the whole thing…

She gave the others an awkward smile and a wave, "Hey guys…"

The others just stared at her for a moment. Oh, this was going well…Buffy felt Sam put a supportive hand on her shoulder. That was Sam for you, always the sensitive, supportive older brother. Buffy flashed him a quick smile before turning back to her friends, "So, um guys…these are my brothers, Sam and Dean."

Sam smiled at the group around the table, "Hi, I'm Sam. And that's Dean."

Dean nodded at them, "Hey."

After staring another moment longer, Willow finally smiled at them, thinking Sam seemed to be a nice guy, "Hi Sam. Hi Dean. I'm Willow and this is Xander, Anya and Tara." She pointed out each person as they introduced them.

Dean nodded at each person as they were pointed out to him, but said nothing further, leaving all of the group just staring at each other in an awkward silence.

Xander raises an eyebrow at the silence and gives Sam and Dean a wry smile, "So…you're Buffy's brothers…" He gave Buffy a look before looking back to Sam and Dean, "Why don't you guys pull up a seat?"

Sam grabbed a seat for Buffy and himself, but Dean stood still, not liking the look that Xander had given Buffy, "I think I'd rather stand."

Sam shot Dean a look, while Buffy hissed, "Dean!"

Xander, and the others, saw the look on Dean's face and knew he was not to be messed with. Xander nervously cleared his throat, "Uh, okay."

Buffy and Sam both sat at the table, leaving Dean standing behind her seat, doing the overprotective brother thing. Buffy sighed to herself. So far this was not going how she had hoped. And Dean being…well, Dean, wasn't helping. She turned around to look at Dean, "Dean…could you go get me a drink? Over there." She gives him a meaningful look.

Dean just blankly stared back, until he understood, "Oh, right…" He smiled, "I'll just go get you a soda then. Over there." He pointed in the direction of the bar and followed the direction of his finger.

After a moment of silence, Willow gives her best friendly smile to Sam, "So…where do you guys live?"

Sam smiled back, "Uh, well, Dean and I are on a road trip right now."

Anya broke in, "Really? Xander went on a road trip after our high school graduation, but his car broke down and he had to work at this male stripper club, but he won't tell anyone anything else about that. Not even me. Has anything like that ever happened to you guys?"

Sam looked over at Xander, who now looked embarrassed beyond belief. Sam hid a smile, "Uh, no…No. Dean takes really good care of his car. He's really good at that stuff."

"So Dean's like, a mechanic?"

Sam looked at Xander at his question, "Not as such. Dean…works in bars. That's how he makes his money."

Buffy hid her nervousness by looking around for Dean. It wasn't a complete lie…Dean did make his money in bars. Granted, it wasn't completely honest work, seeing as it was mainly pool hustling and poker games, but he made his money in bars just like Sam said…Buffy looked for Dean at the bar, but didn't see him. He was supposed to be getting her a drink, where did he go?

"So what do you do, Sam?"

Sam heard the question come from the blonde who had been quiet until now. Tara, was it? He smiled warmly at her, "I've been in college for the last few years. Like I said, right now I'm on a road trip with my big brother."

Xander frowned and looked between Buffy and Sam, "Dean's the oldest?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I dunno…it just seems that Dean's kinda…?"

Anya broke in, "Immature? Mean?"

Sam laughed, "Yeah…Dean can be a little weird sometimes, but he's the oldest. He's pretty protective."

Buffy snorted at that. Pretty protective? Dean was like a pitbull if anyone messed with their family. Sam gave her a look. They were supposed to reveal as little as possible about the family. But it didn't feel right. These were her friends and she was still lying to them by not telling them everything.

Xander had been silent for awhile, but he suddenly frowned, thinking of something, "Wait, there's something I don't understand. Okay, you guys are Buff's older brothers and you're on the road. How are you guys related? I mean, Buffy's mom died just over a year ago and we'd never heard of you before."

Sam looked at Buffy and they shared an anxious look, hopefully unnoticed by the others. Sam opened his mouth to answer…

"Hey, where's Dean?!" Buffy exclaimed, looking around the room, searching for her missing big brother. He wasn't at the bar, where he said he would be. She stood up to get a better view. At least she thought it was until she realized that she was a lot shorter now that she was stood on the ground. She grabbed Sam's arm, "Sam…?"

Sam smiled and stood, his height being an obvious advantage in a crowded room. Sam scanned the room, until he eventually spotted Dean, "Oh you've gotta be kidding me." Sam shook his head in disbelief. He got up and walked into the crowd towards where he saw Dean. Buffy glanced at her friends for a moment before following Sam into the crowd.

* * *

Dean laughed and downed another shot, then slamming it down on the edge of the pool table, "Sorry, man, just ain't your day!"

The man who had been playing Dean at pool glared at him and slammed the cue to the ground before storming off, grumbling.

Dean grinned, picking up the stack of bills from the table, counting them, "Always a pleasure to take your money."

"Oh, Dean…you're so good at pool…"

Dean grinned down at the scantily clad brunette hanging off his arm, "Don't I know it, sweetheart." The girl handed Dean another shot, which he happily accepted, downing it in one gulp.

"Dean!!"

Dean looked up and saw an annoyed looking Sammy approach, with Buffy close behind. He rolled his eyes and mumbled to the girl next to him, "Ahh, terrific. Here comes the fun patrol."

Sam took quickly glanced at the girl, Dean's latest fling of the evening, before glaring at Dean, "We are here to meet Buffy's friends! Not hustle pool or pick up girls!"

"See, that's what's wrong with you, Sammy. You don't know how to have fun once in a while. Nothing wrong with mixing business with pleasure."

Buffy rolled her eyes at Dean, "I can't take you anywhere!"

Dean frowned, defensively, "Hey, I need to get money somewhere!"

Unnoticed to the three siblings, Buffy's friends had followed Sam and Buffy over to where Dean had been hustling pool and were now standing behind Sam and Buffy watching what was happening. Xander and Willow exchanged looks before Willow took Buffy's arm and pulled her aside, "Buffy…is your brother hustling pool??"

Buffy bit her lip nervously, "What makes you say that?"

Xander raised his eyebrows, butting into the conversation, "Well, it could be the huge wad of cash in his hand and the little fact that he was just playing pool. Why does your brother need to hustle pool for cash? You're still hiding something from us!"

"No, I'm not!"

Dean gave the girl on his arm a tight smile, "Excuse us, sweetheart." The girl pouted, and walked off looking disappointed. Dean turned to look at Xander with a dark expression on his face, "Listen here. We came here because you're our baby sister's friends and you insisted on meeting us. We came. We don't owe you any explanations or anything. And if you talk to my baby sister that way again, I'm gonna have to hurt you. Now if you'll excuse us…Sam and I are taking Buffy home."

And with that, Dean pocketed his money and guided Buffy away from her friends and towards the exit with a hand on the back of her shoulder.

Buffy let Dean lead her out and dropped her head with a defeated sigh. She should have known that this would never work. But even despite her reservations, she'd never have dreamed their meeting would go so wrong. She'd hoped Dean could have behaved for a couple of hours, could have been nice…maybe they could have avoided their family's dark clouds. But now her friends knew that there was more that her family wasn't letting on. This was not good.

"This is a disaster!" Buffy groaned, climbing into the car and slamming the door behind her. This was bad. And she had no idea what to do next, "I am so screwed."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five Silent Lucidity**

A/N: This chapter is pretty flashback heavy. I named this chapter after the song by Queensryche as it came to mind while I wrote this. I hope you like it!

* * *

Dean had been thinking. All he had been trying to do was look out for his little sister. But instead, now she was pissed at him, all because he told off her friends. He thought real friends were supposed to help each other and not demand things from each other. But then again, Dean had never really had any friends. All he had was Buffy, Sam and his Dad, although for a very long time it had mostly been only him, Sam and his Dad. But that wasn't his fault. His Dad had done what he thought was best, and he knew it. But he hadn't always.

21 Years Earlier…

"Please, Joyce. You have to take care of her."

"John…I don't understand. Why…why would you ask me to take your daughter? Don't you love her?"

"Of course I do. And that's why you have to take her."

"I don't understand."

"Something bad happened to Mary. I can't explain it now, but…I have to do something about it. And I don't want Buffy to get hurt. She's just a baby."

"But you'd take Sam and Dean?"

John sighed, "Sam and Dean are…well they're boys. But Buffy's my little girl. I don't want my little girl anywhere near this. I need to know she'll be safe. And right now, the safest place for her is with you and Hank. I know you've been wanting a baby for a long time now. Well here's your chance."

"John…I don't know what you're getting yourself into, but I know that my sister would never have wanted any of this for you. Take Buffy and the boys, find a new home. Start over."

"No, I can't! I know you loved Mary too, but you weren't there. You didn't see what I saw. You don't understand. I can't let this go. I have to find what did it. And I need you to keep her safe."

John quickly handed the baby to Joyce before he could change his mind, tears shimmering in his eyes and she reluctantly took the little girl, her niece. She was beautiful, like her mother. And now she was her daughter.

Joyce sighed, "Be careful, John. If you ever need anything…"

"Just please…look after my daughter."

And with that, John left the house through the back door, needing a moment to himself before he went back to the boys. He covered his face and he silently let the tears fall from his eyes as he let himself mourn the loss of his beloved wife and now, the loss of his beautiful baby girl.

After the tears had dried, John pulled himself together and walked around the house back to his car where his young sons were waiting. Dean silently stared at the house, knowing what his father had done. He refused to meet his gaze.

Sammy, not knowing any better looked around confused, not seeing his sister, "Where Buffy, daddy?"

John just gave Sammy a sad smile, "She's safe now, Sammy. She's safe."

* * *

Dean lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He remembered that evening perfectly. It was one of his worst memories. He was the big brother, it was his job to protect his younger siblings. But Dad had taken Buffy and given her away to Mom's younger sister and her husband. Buffy was alone, away from the family, where he couldn't protect her. He felt helpless to do anything, and he hated that feeling. So to make up for not being there with her, he had contacted her often. As often as possible, and he always tried to save her pain if he was able. Even though it often got him into a lot of trouble.

8 Years Later…

"Dad is going to kill you."

Dean shot a glare at his younger sister, already knowing how much trouble he was going to be in when their father found them, "You don't need to remind me."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Obviously I do, since this was all your idea!"

Dean frowned at his little sister's attitude. After all, he had done all this for her. For a 13 year old she had one seriously bad attitude. He wasn't sure where she got it from.

Buffy had been having a rough time at home since Uncle Hank and Aunt Joyce started fighting all the time. Usually Buffy was brought into the arguments, and Dean had wanted to give her some time away. Being 19 years old and now the proud owner of the Impala, Dean had decided to pick her up after school and take her on the road for the weekend. Of course, Uncle Hank had found out and contacted their dad and now he was going to be in big trouble. Which explained why he was currently hiding out at Bobby's, while his little sister glared at him from the other side of the room.

After several moments of tense silence, Dean glared back at his sister, "Will you stop looking at me like that!"

Buffy just frowned and gave him a look, "Why? When dad finds us, we're going to be in huge trouble. And not only that, but when I get back to L.A. Uncle Hank is gonna be really mad at me for taking off with my 'trouble-making miscreant of an older brother'!"

Dean was silent for a moment, not having thought of that before. His face softened, genuinely repentant, "I'm sorry. I didn't think about that."

Buffy just glared at him, "I know! You never think about that stuff. When I get back Auntie Joyce and Uncle Hank are just gonna fight more and blame each other and stuff. They probably aren't even waiting for me! What were you thinking, Dean?"

"I was trying to be a good big brother."

Buffy froze, her face softening, "What?"

Dean sighed, he was very bad at the touchy-feely-emotional stuff, "I don't like you living there alone with Uncle Hank and Aunt Joyce. Aunt Joyce is nice, but Hank…" he shook his head, "I don't like how they fight around you, and I just wanted to take you away from all that."

Buffy was silent for a moment, but then walked over to her big brother and give him a hug, surprising him, "I love you, Dean."

Dean smiled, and playfully tousled her hair, "Love you too, princess."

* * *

Sam sat at the kitchen table, sipping from his cup of coffee. He'd decided to stay out of Dean and Buffy's way after their huge argument when they'd gotten home. Dean had been trying to protect Buffy, but Buffy was very independent, and Sam knew that sometimes she didn't entirely appreciate Dean's interference. But Sam didn't blame Dean. He'd traveled with Dean his whole life and he knew how overprotective Dean could be.

Dean had always watched out for him, and Buffy too, albeit from a distance. Sam had always been protected from the world as a child. Dad and Dean had never told him about the supernatural until he was eight years old, and he had resented it at the time and for many years after. But he had eventually realized that Dad and Dean had had good reasons for doing it, as they always had. They had wanted to keep them safe and innocent for as long as they possibly could.

7 Years Earlier…

Sam shoved Dean ahead of him as they walked up to the large house, leaving the Impala parked out front.

Dean glared back at Sam, "You don't have to shove, you know! I'm goin'!"

Despite the fact that all the windows and doors were closed, the sounds of a man and woman shouting could clearly be heard outside. The significance of this did not escape Dean and he gave Sam a look as they climbed the porch steps. Sam knew what this meant. Dean had told him about it before, but he had never heard it before in person.

As they reached the top of the porch Dean turned to face Sam, "You do know that Dad will kill us if he finds out what we're doing, right?"

Sam glared, "I don't care, Dean! It isn't fair on her!"

Dean glared back, "Who's talking about fair, Sammy? We're talking about going up there and telling our innocent younger sister about the things that go bump in the night! You know if we tell her demons are real, she's never gonna have that innocence again. She's only fourteen years old, Sam. She's gonna grow up real quick. Just like you."

Sam didn't know what to say to that. He'd assumed that Dean was reluctant to tell Buffy about the supernatural because of Dad, he'd never thought that Dean was trying to protect Buffy from that.

Still, it wasn't fair to keep the family business from her. He remembered how he'd felt when Dean had finally told him about the supernatural. He'd been upset, finding it extremely difficult to take in. And he'd cried. Dean had tried his best to make him feel better, but it was something he had to come to grips with alone. He knew it would be hard for Buffy. She'd been living a completely normal life so far and now to tell her about demons…it felt wrong. But he knew she deserved to know what it was her older brothers and father did for a living.

"We can't keep her in the dark forever, Dean."

Dean stared at Sam for a moment, before he sighed in defeat, "I know. Come on, then. Let's go find her."

* * *

Buffy felt awful. Sure, the evening had pretty much been a bust. Sure, she had completely screwed everything up. And sure, her friends probably hated her now. But right now that wasn't important. Because she had blown up at Dean as soon as they had gotten home and blamed him for the entire fiasco. She flopped back on the couch with a groan.

She had been a bitch. It wasn't Dean's fault that the meeting hadn't worked out. He had just been standing up for her like he'd always done. Whenever she had been upset or lost, Dean had always been there. If she needed him, he came running. He was always on her side. Her friends didn't always trust her, but Dean always did. He was a little too overprotective sometimes, but he trusted her. And Buffy had blown up at him for trying to protect her, for being on her side. It had been Buffy's fault too. She had hidden this huge part of her life from them. She couldn't expect everyone to just accept it and move on. She had expected too much from everyone. It was more her fault than Dean's, and she had blamed him. And for that…she felt awful.

6 Years Earlier…

Buffy stared down at the makeshift grave-marker, lost and confused. She'd just lost her watcher, the only person who knew what she really was and what she was supposed to do.

The Slayer.

Buffy lowered her head and a tear trickled down her cheek. She didn't know what to do. Realizing the time, she turned and left Merrick's final resting place, slowly making the walk home. Her dad would kill her if he found out she was out in the middle of the night alone. Especially after Dean and Sam had told her about the things that went bump in the night. Everything changed after that.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she never heard the roaring of the familiar engine quickly moving down the street, until it pulled up next to her, "Buffy!"

Buffy, startled, whirled around to stare into the annoyed and strangely concerned face of her older brother, "Dean…"

The driver's door of the Impala opened with a creak as Dean got out of the car, "Where have you been?? Do you know what time it is? I went by the house and Aunt Joyce was freaking out!"

Buffy just looked down at her feet, "I'm sorry."

Dean's face softened when he saw how sad and vulnerable Buffy looked. How did his little sister always manage to manipulate him so easily? He sighed, "Buffy, get in the car."

Buffy said nothing, just went to the passenger side of the Impala and slid into the car. Dean soon climbed in after her and slammed the door, making no move to start the engine. Buffy looked up after several moments of tense silence to see a concerned expression on Dean's face.

"Are you all right?"

Buffy was silent for a moment, paused to ponder the question. Finally she shook her head 'no'. She immediately felt Dean's arm encircle her shoulders, pulling her closer to him for support.

"I'm sorry…I know it can't be easy losing a friend like that. I mean, I don't really know what it's like. I haven't lost anyone since Mom. But, you know…I'm always here. If you wanna talk."

Buffy was quiet. Dean sighed, realizing this was gonna be one of those one-sided conversations, "I spoke to Sammy. He said he's sorry. He would have come with me, only he had school and…Dad doesn't know yet, so he couldn't leave without us having to tell him. You know you have to tell him sometime. I mean, you don't have to right now, but…the sooner would be better. He's not gonna be happy, but, Dad's been hunting things for years and he'd know what to do. Now that you're the Slayer and your Watcher is…gone…you're gonna need someone." Dean sighed again after getting no response, "Come on. Let's get you home." Dean started up the engine and pulled away from the curb.

After several minutes of silence, Buffy looked at Dean. He looked tired. Like he hadn't gotten much sleep. Because of her, she realized. Dean had been so worried about her, he rushed right back to L.A. and had spent most of his time following her, making sure she didn't do anything stupid and get herself killed. Dean was there for her, she knew that, and she wanted to be with her brother, "Dean…can I stay with you? At least, just for tonight?"

Dean smiled, "Course you can."

Buffy gave him a little smile, "Thank you, Dean." Buffy shared with him a glance that she hoped conveyed just how much she meant it. From the smile on his face and the sparkle in his eyes, she knew he had.

"Anytime, Princess. Anytime."

* * *

Yes, Buffy was a handful and did get him into trouble sometimes, as did Sam on occasion. But they were family, and there was nothing that Dean wouldn't do for Sam and Buffy. And because in the end he knew, no matter how hard his life was, or how short, or how painful…it was worth it.

Dean sighed. Maybe he had gone a little too far that time. It hadn't been entirely his fault, but he would admit that he was partly to blame. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

Dean trudged down the stairs and walked to the entrance of the main room. Buffy was lying on the couch, and she looked upset. Dean looked away, guiltily and knocked on the wall to get her attention.

Buffy startled at the noise. She hadn't heard anyone come in, "Dean?" She stood up as Dean entered the room and slowly approached her. They met halfway across the room.

"Buffy…"

Dean and Buffy stared at each other for a moment, both feeling sorry about what had happened earlier and wanting to make it right. With matching expressions of guilt, both opened their mouths and in unison they said,

"I'm sorry."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

A/N: Hey all! Sorry about the wait for this one, but I've had some really bad writer's block about halfway through. Tell me what you think!

* * *

"I can't believe she lied to us!" Xander frowned before adding, "Again."

Anya shrugged, not seeing what the big deal was. Humans lied all the time, "Well I'm not. She lied about having brothers in the first place. Why are you so surprised that they'd hide other things from you? I mean, who knows what her family have been up to? Dean is probably a criminal on the run and Sam is kinda cute and sensitive so he's probably being dragged along for the ride. They're probably black sheep and the family don't like to talk about them so they keep them secret."

Willow, Xander and Tara just stared at Anya, thinking over her interpretation. After a moment Tara looked between Willow and Xander, "You know…that actually does make some sense."

Xander frowned, "Yeah…in that weird my-life's-a-soap-opera kinda way."

Tara frowned, hurt by Xander's jibe. Tara knew that sometimes Xander could be pretty offensive and hypocritical sometimes, but he was one of Willow's best friends so she didn't want to say anything. She could understand why Dean had gotten so mad at him. He probably wasn't a bad guy…after all, Tara had in the past known several guys with hidden depths. People who were mean and defensive on the outside and kind and giving on the inside. Maybe Dean was one of those people. She would go and apologize to Buffy later, "Look…maybe there's more to this than we know. Buffy must have had a good reason for doing what she did."

Willow smiled at Tara, before glancing back at Xander, "Tara's right! She must have. Buffy wouldn't just lie like that if it wasn't important."

"Since when? Buffy's always leaving us out of the loop on things."

Anya cleared her throat, "And that's the kind of attitude that got Dean pissed at you. For a criminal, he is really hot."

Xander gave her a look, "A really hot womanizer."

Willow nudged Xander, "Xander…maybe we should leave you alone to cool off. Tara, wanna go to the Magic Shop?" She smiled excitedly.

Tara smiled back, "Okay."

* * *

"So what did you think of Sam and Dean?"

"They seemed nice. I mean, Sam was nice. I just think that Dean's really protective of them."

"You think so? He was pretty mean to Xander."

"He was. But Xander was pretty unfair to Buffy, you can't blame him for getting mad."

"I guess, yeah. Who would've thought that Buffy had brothers. And such insanely protective ones too."

Tara smiled, "Well given Buffy's line of work, who can be surprised?"

"Hey…do you think Sam and Dean know about demons?"

Tara thought for a moment. It would make sense if they did. Buffy was the Slayer. It was a pretty huge secret to keep from her family. Her mother had known about the Slayer thing, "I don't know. It's possible."

"I think we'd better speak to Buffy. Without Xander."

Tara nodded, "I think you're right."

* * *

Buffy, Sam and Dean were all comfortably settled on the couch, Buffy's head resting on Dean's shoulder. Buffy murmured, "What do we do now?"

Dean gave Buffy's shoulder a supportive squeeze, "We do what we can."

Buffy flicked her eyes up to meet Dean's, "Which is what? They know we're not telling them something."

Sam pursed his lips, "I don't know what to do about your friends, but I have a suggestion about what we do next. How about we go talk to your watcher? He might be able to help you smooth things over."

Buffy looked at Sam for a moment, thinking. After a moment she nodded, "Okay." Then she frowned, "But what if Giles gets mad about me not telling him about you guys?"

Sam took Buffy's hand and gave it a supportive squeeze, "You need to talk to someone, Buff. From what you told us about Giles, he sounds like the best person. I mean, he's forgiven you for things before, right? Like when you ran away from home?"

Buffy wrinkled her brow in thought and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could Dean butted in, "Did we actually ever really talk about that?"

Buffy sighed and looked at her oldest brother, "No…but Dad did, remember? He chewed me out for running away. Again."

Dean gave her a look, "Can you blame the guy? How many times have you run away from home now? 3, 4 times?"

Buffy huffed, indignant, "One of those times was your fault!"

"Oh come on! I did it for your benefit and you know it!"

"I know! But-!"

"Back to the subject!" both Buffy and Dean looked at Sam upon his outburst, "Thank you. You're both as bad as each other, you know that right?" Buffy and Dean both grumbled under their breath, but let it go. "So we're agreed, right? First thing tomorrow, we go see Giles."

* * *

Buffy took a deep breath before finally working up the nerve to knock on the door. She had decided it would be better if at first she were to speak to Giles alone. He could meet Sam and Dean later, after he knew the score.

Buffy anxiously rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, waiting for Giles to answer. Maybe he wasn't home? Yeah, that was likely…Maybe she should come back later anyway. Yeah, later was a better idea. She moved to turn and leave, but she heard the lock disengage and the door opened before she could move.

"Buffy! This is a surprise."

Buffy frowned, pursing her lips, "It is? Why? Did someone say something? What's so surprising?" 'Shut up, Buffy!'

Giles gave her a strange look, "No, nobody spoke to me about anything recently. I only meant it is quite early. Aren't you usually still asleep at this hour?"

"Oh!" Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. Her friends hadn't spoken to him yet. This was a good thing! "Well, uh, I would have but…Dean kicked me out of bed." She frowned to herself. She would get him back for that later.

Giles frowned, "Dean…? Ah, yes, your older brother. They are in Sunnydale now, I take it?"

Buffy pursed her lips, "Yeah…actually that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Can we talk?"

Giles immediately stepped away from the door, holding it open for her to enter the apartment, "Of course. Would you like some tea?"

Buffy shook her head and raised a hand, "Pass on the tea. But thanks." She went over to Giles' couch and sat down, Giles sitting down next to her.

"Yes, so…what was it you wanted to speak to me about?"

Buffy was silent for a moment. How did she wanna go about this? She decided to tell him everything. The truth. The white lies had already backfired enough on her this week. She didn't want Giles to be mad at her too, "Everything."

* * *

Giles frowned and poured himself another cup of tea from the pot he had prepared halfway through her story. He took a sip and cleared his throat, "Now, let me see if I understand correctly. Joyce and Hank Summers were not your parents, but your Aunt and Uncle. Your mother was killed by a demon when you were a baby, and your father and brothers are demon hunters who are hunting down the creature that killed her. Is that correct?"

Buffy nodded, taking a bite of one of the cookies Giles had retrieved from the kitchen, "In a nutshell."

"And you didn't tell the others this. You hid the truth from them?"

Buffy looked down guiltily, "Yes. It was a mistake, I know. But…Dad always said we could never tell anyone. It was stupid. The gang know all about demons and monsters…I should have told them everything. They would have understood."

Giles gave her a kind look, "Now, Buffy. Don't blame yourself. It isn't your fault. You were only trying to protect your father and brothers. But if I may…I would suggest that now you tell them the truth."

Buffy nodded, "I will. But what if they don't believe me? It's not like I could blame them."

"All you can do now is tell them the truth, and trust that as your friends they will believe you. Now…when do I get to meet these brothers of yours?"

Buffy grinned.


End file.
